Is Internal Recruitment the Best Option?

Katie Harrower |
Feb 08, 18

Category

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External recruitment can be costly and time-consuming compared to recruiting internally.

That’s why so many businesses often prefer to use internal recruitment as the answer to any staffing problems. The process will likely be far quicker, reduce external recruitment costs, & directors and managers are already familiar with the employees making it easier to find a good match for the role at hand. There’s also the angle of reward & recognition, helping employees to feel appreciated for their hard work as they move up the career ladder. Sometimes these advantages outweigh any possible negatives that could occur from recruiting internally.

However, internal recruitment isn’t always the best or smartest option for every open job position.

Advantages of internal recruitment include:

Reduces recruitment cost

Provides employees with reward & recognition

Reduces time taken to recruit

Strengths and weaknesses of candidates are already known

Some of the disadvantages of internal recruitment include:

The number of potential candidates is limited

Fresh talent often brings fresh ideas and therefore by recruiting internally you could be missing out on these original ideas

Conflict could arise between candidates

Promoting one employee leaves a vacancy in their old position; you may therefore need to recruit externally to fill this one, costing you just as much if not more for the full process

Addressing both the possible advantages and disadvantages of internal recruitment based on your own situation can be very useful – not all of the advantages will apply to your company, and neither will all of the disadvantages.

Katie is an English Literature graduate from the University of Stirling now developing an exciting career in marketing within Youmanage. Within the wider team, she is responsible for managing all aspects of marketing communications, including content and digital strategy, social media, website traffic, prospective client experience and the overall satisfaction of existing Youmanage users. Outside of work, she spends most of her time writing music, portrait painting, or at the pub quiz trying to win free food.